Construct Validity
Construct validity relates to whether a particular psychometric assessment...
section one
5 Effective Interview Questions to Measure Leadership
Lead consultant at Test Partnership, Ben Schwencke, explains why Leadership is worth measuring.
Few competencies are as essential to organisational performance leadership skills. Effective leaders are not only responsible for driving their teams to success but also for fostering a positive work environment that encourages growth and innovation.
Identifying these qualities in potential candidates can be challenging, especially when they may not have extensive leadership experience on their CVs.
To help you uncover the innate leadership potential in your prospective hires, we've compiled a list of five effective interview questions designed to measure leadership skills. These questions, along with their corresponding probing questions and examples of strong and weak answers, will provide you with valuable insights into a candidate's ability to inspire, manage, and support their team members.
Can you provide an example of a time when you had to inspire and motivate a team to achieve a challenging goal?
Would demonstrate the candidate's ability to clearly identify the challenge, set a clear and achievable goal, and inspire the team by understanding and leveraging their individual strengths. The candidate should display excellent communication skills, active listening, and empathy. They should also show their ability to create a supportive environment where team members feel motivated, empowered, and confident in their abilities to achieve the goal.
Would be vague, lacking specific details about the situation, goal, or actions taken by the candidate. It may also focus primarily on the candidate's own achievements rather than the contributions and growth of the team members. A weak answer might fail to demonstrate how the candidate effectively communicated, listened to, and supported the team during the process.
- 1. What was the situation and the goal that your team was working towards?
- 2. How did you assess the individual strengths and weaknesses of your team members to allocate tasks effectively?
- 3. What strategies did you use to keep the team focused and committed to the goal?
Describe a time when you had to resolve a conflict within your team.
Would highlight the candidate's ability to effectively manage conflicts by identifying the root cause, actively listening to all parties, and facilitating open and respectful communication. The candidate should describe the steps they took to find a fair resolution, as well as any measures implemented to prevent similar conflicts in the future. This answer should demonstrate the candidate's emotional intelligence, adaptability, and ability to foster a positive work environment.
Would lack detail or focus on assigning blame to one or more parties involved in the conflict. The candidate may also fail to demonstrate active listening, empathy, or effective communication skills in their response. They might not describe any steps taken to prevent future conflicts, suggesting a lack of proactive problem-solving abilities.
- 1. What was the root cause of the conflict?
- 2. How did you approach the situation to ensure all parties felt heard and respected?
- 3. What steps did you take to find a resolution and prevent future conflicts from arising?
How do you create an environment that fosters innovation and creative problem-solving among your team members?
Would outline the candidate's approach to fostering a culture of innovation and creative problem-solving. This might include encouraging open communication, empowering team members to take risks, or providing resources and support for professional development. The candidate should provide a specific example of their team successfully solving a complex problem using creative thinking, and explain how they balance the need for innovation with the demands of meeting deadlines and delivering results.
Would be vague or lack specific strategies for fostering innovation and creativity. The candidate might not provide a concrete example of their team successfully solving a complex problem through creative thinking, or may fail to address how they balance innovation with the pressures of deadlines and results. This response might suggest the candidate is not proactive in creating an environment that supports creative problem-solving.
- 1. What specific strategies or practices do you implement to encourage innovation and creativity within your team?
- 2. Can you share an example of when your team successfully solved a complex problem through creative thinking?
- 3. How do you balance the need for creativity and innovation with the demands of meeting deadlines and delivering results?
Can you describe a situation when you had to delegate a critical task to a team member, and how you ensured its successful completion?
Would demonstrate the candidate's ability to effectively delegate tasks based on the strengths and capabilities of their team members. They should explain their thought process behind selecting the appropriate person and emphasize clear communication of expectations and the task's importance. The candidate should also describe how they provided resources, support, and feedback throughout the process, and how their approach led to the successful completion of the critical task.
Would lack specific details about the situation or the candidate's decision-making process in choosing the appropriate team member. The response might not highlight the importance of clear communication, resource allocation, or ongoing support for the team member. A weak answer could also fail to mention how the candidate monitored progress or provided feedback, suggesting a lack of active involvement in the delegation process.
- 1. How did you choose the appropriate team member for the task, and what factors did you consider?
- 2. What steps did you take to communicate the task's importance and ensure the team member had the necessary resources and support?
- 3. How did you monitor progress and provide feedback throughout the process?
Tell us about a time when you had to adapt your leadership style to meet the unique needs of a team member or a specific situation.
Would show the candidate's ability to recognize when a change in their leadership style is necessary and adapt accordingly. They should clearly describe the factors or circumstances that prompted the change, how they assessed the situation or team member's needs, and the specific adjustments they made. The candidate should also explain how these changes positively impacted the outcome, demonstrating flexibility, adaptability, and a commitment to meeting the diverse needs of their team.
Would lack specific details about the situation or the candidate's process for assessing and adapting their leadership style. The response might not clearly describe the changes made or how those changes impacted the outcome. A weak answer could suggest that the candidate is inflexible or unable to recognize and respond to the unique needs of their team members or changing situations.
- 1. What factors or circumstances prompted you to change your leadership style?
- 2. How did you assess the needs of your team member or the situation to determine the appropriate adjustment in your approach?
- 3. What specific changes did you make to your leadership style, and how did these changes impact the outcome?
section two
Limitations of interview questions for Leadership
Although interviews are convenient tools for measuring leadership potential, they are fairly limited in scope. Interviews mainly measure interpersonal skills and communication, making it difficult to capture other traits. Consequently, interviews can only measure certain aspects of leadership, while other intrapersonal components will be unavailable. This means that highly skilled interviewees could convince their interviewers that they are great leaders, but in reality, they were just highly convincing.
Test Partnership's behavioural assessments, however, provide a significantly purer indication of leadership capability than interviews. Our behavioural assessments measure a wide range of traits that underpin leadership, including emotional intelligence, learning agility, extraversion, integrity, and industriousness. By using these assessments, you can capture leadership potential without relying solely on interviews, saving time while improving the quality of the hiring process. For more information on our behavioural assessments, please contact us directly or register for a free trial.
